ECHO project resonates throughout WNC

ECHO project resonates throughout WNC

by

Long-term institutions use a “guided practice” model to mitigate the coronavirus.

By Melba Newsome

Every Monday at noon, Janice Somers closes the door to her Westwood Hills Nursing and Rehabilitation office and places her phone in Do Not Disturb. For the next 90 minutes, the nurse administrator and four staff members join hundreds of employees from more than a hundred facilities in North and South Carolina for the COVID-19 Action Network for the nursing home, an online course for four months developed to establish common guidelines for infection control in nursing homes.

Training is a way to share best practices and other practical information. But Somers says that camaraderie is also important.

“I want to know what other people are doing,” says Somers. “We have all been so isolated. Since March, everything has been a Zoom meeting. “

prevent the virus from entering nursing homes;

  • identify infected residents and employees;
  • avoid spreading between employees, residents and visitors;
  • provide safe and adequate care to residents with mild and asymptomatic cases of the virus;
  • ensure that the team is adequately trained to implement the best practices security measures.

    • Somers and his team welcomed the detailed plan.

    “The flow of information has been very confusing, not just for doctors, but for people who work in clinics and nursing homes, because there was no national strategy,” says Somers. “The CDC was saying something, the state was saying something else and there was a lot of confusion. In this way, everyone receives the same training and information. “

    Most participants work for stand-alone installations and strive to keep abreast of changing guidelines. However, Westwood is one of many nursing homes owned and operated by Principle Long Term Care. Somers and his team rely on the corporate office to sort and keep them informed of the latest coronavirus-related news and policies.

    Even so, she still believed that there were reasons to participate in the ECO, such as hearing from someone who is going through the same thing.

    “It’s an unbelievable experience when you discover that COVID is in your building and that the team has COVID,” says Somers. “It takes many hours and everyone has to do many different jobs.

    “One night, my job was to collect garbage in all the rooms because the maids were out. Thank goodness, my diet never gave up, because I would have to be cooking there and that could be a problem. “

    Printable version, PDF and email

    Source